Chapter 1
Carla had thrown it at a somewhat stunned DS Swain on her way out of the factory one evening.
“Fancy a drink at the Rovers?”
The elastic-band of ease between them stretched into uncomfortable territory with the increasing duration of the blonde's silence.
Then it snapped back into place.
“Okay. Yeah, why not!”
Green eyes flared large before her.
Her voice rang higher than she'd heard from her before, a feminine note of bewilderment colouring it with a foreign shyness.
As though she didn't know what to do with something as casual as a friendly offer of company for an evening.
“Great. Come on then, before it starts getting rowdy.”
Lisa tossed a quizzical look her way.
“It's Tuesday.”
Carla turned to her, inwardly pleased that the detective comfortably kept up with her brisk stride without remarking on it.
“Y’know something, you could well be right.”
She earned an eye-roll for the sarcasm.
But her victory didn't last long.
“Contrary to popular opinion, it isn't generally a rare occurrence.”
There was something compelling in the sly twinkle that peeked out from behind her eyes.
A hidden mischief that was just waiting for a suitable moment of release.
No time like the present for exploring it, Carla thought.
“If you'd care to submit your evidence, DS Swain, well I'd be more than happy to appraise it for you.”
Carla winked at her.
“Purely for verification purposes.
She got a wry smirk in response.
“Wow. You really have been doing your homework on those police procedurals, haven't you?”
Grabbing the door ahead of them, the diminutive blonde held it open, motioning with a confident hand for Carla to step in ahead of her.
But before she moved back completely, she leaned over, black leather coat brushing against fawn wool.
“Prime territory to prove my point if we're starting with those.”
Oh
Then, like a mirage, the cocksure swagger that Carla had become accustomed to rock-skipping over in their usual interactions smoothly evaporated.
Leaving behind a softer, open-faced Lisa that drew her curiosity even more.
She could feel herself treading water.
“Lucky for you, I'm off the clock.”
Tugged by some invisible thread, the factory-owner stumbled unheeded into the heat of the pub, light-headed from the bait-and-switch she'd just experienced.
Feeling a shoulder a hair's breadth from hers, she subtly leaned onto the back of a barstool.
Nothing to take much notice of really.
She nodded to an empty booth near the back, hidden from open view.
A brief press of an unexpectedly delicate hand to her forearm in silent thanks indicated that her drinking companion would take care of securing their seats.
“Bottle of red when you can please, Sean.”
Who exactly are you, Swain?
They'd been sitting there at least half an hour trading commentary on various punters before the alcohol oiled the locks on the flood barriers that kept Carla's curiosity at bay.
“So, what made you say yes earlier?”
Finishing her glass, the detective's brow drew into a crease, suspicion darting across it.
“Well you offered, why d'you ask?”
The shutters that the brunette had been carefully prising apart in dainty strokes were starting to flutter shut once more.
Drawbridge unfurling in defence.
“ ‘Cause I wanted to.”
Lisa leaned back slightly, absorbing jade eyes flitting across her; searching for something, Carla hadn't yet figured what.
“You wanted to?”
Her intentions.
That was it.
Friend or friendly foe sort of thing.
It made Carla latch onto old memories of sniggering girls, loud and taunting, shutting them up with fluid fists and brutal kicks until they couldn't open their mouths to try and break her anymore.
Still familiar enough to grasp that she could spot the grey threads of it sharpening Lisa's gaze.
“Yeah. Just like that. Should I not have?”
Now she flushed, pink blossoms sparking beneath her eyes as they melted away the barriers.
“No! I mean, I'm glad you asked, actually.”
The earnestness sang in the air between them, enveloping Carla with something… warm.
The detective ducked her head, colour deepening on her face from her honesty.
Flexing her fists beneath the table with unease.
She hadn't meant to be that sincere.
Clearly.
But to the brunette's surprise, she left the door wide open.
“I haven't really done anything like this in a while.”
She shrugged, dismissing the notion and herself in one gesture.
“This job is unfortunately not conducive to making too many friends. And that's before anyone actually sees me.”
Now it was Carla's turn to blush.
You see me was ringing so loudly in her ears, she thought for a moment that it had been spoken aloud.
But she had to do something about that shard of vulnerability, poking out at her beneath curling blonde strands.
Before it bolted back into its hiding place.
“That's their loss. You're a human being who happens to be a police officer, not the other way around.”
She sipped at her glass, letting this new awareness sit comfortably.
“On the other hand, if they can't find it in themselves to see you as a person, then they're not worth your time.”
She braved a look back towards the woman in front of her.
She was smiling.
A merry, light little thing.
Her upper lip wrestled with a dimple, though it was rapidly losing the fight.
It transformed her entire face into something wonderfully bright. Beautiful, even.
“I appreciate that.”
She inclined her head, pleased.
“I'm glad you came.”